"It's enough for 30,000 hectares or more. That's a pretty big irrigation project by the standards of Western Australia."

And while Mr Delane concedes that agriculture is unlikely to ever rival the scale of mining in the Pilbara, he believes it's important to focus on developing more market demand.

"What we haven't got in place yet is the very strong supply chain pull and that's the area that I'm personally focussing on.

"We're dealing with major markets in Asia which can take off very quickly. We've seen that with iron ore and with energy.

"With an exponential growth curve, it can seem very flat for a long time and then all of a sudden it grows very rapidly."

Mr Delane cites Asia and the Middle East as two key regions looking for investment opportunities around a reliable source of fresh produce.

"They're looking for projects for premium, clean, safe produce and that's something Western Australia and the Pilbara can produce.

"With the right combination of technology, markets and supply chain logistics, it's technically possible to grow large quantities of premium-priced produce here and for that not to be too many years away."

Miners cautious about collaboration

While diversification might be the buzz word on everyone's lips, the mining industry says it's here to stay.

The Chamber of Minerals and Energy's William 'Chubb' Witham says while Pilbara members are keen to help the region thrive in the future, they also don't want to be overlooked.

There are a couple of trials and we welcome those, but mining companies really do want to control their operations.

William 'Chubb' Witham, Chamber of Minerals and Energy

"We welcome those different incentives for agriculture and tourism. Diversification is important for the Pilbara, but sometimes some of the resources companies do feel that they're forgotten.

"We are actually providing a lot of the employment in the 'here and now'. There's a lot of value you can see today."

Some miners in the region are already involved in the PHADI project.

Mr Witham says they are helping to collate water data, and some are also involved in stand-alone ventures like Rio Tinto's Hamersley Agricultural Project.

"There are a couple of trials and we welcome those, but mining companies really do want to control their operations.

"In terms of the mines with their dewatering, a lot of it is reinjected into aquifers and it gets complicated."

With many Pilbara iron ore mines increasing production, though, it's likely more water could be available in the future.

"If we can find something that's a win-win for both mining and agriculture, I think that'd be fantastic.

"The mining industry is here for the long term and is very much interested in investing in, and seeing, sustainable communities in the Pilbara."

Pilbara beef production: caught in the middle

The Pilbara currently produces beef for both the local and live export markets.